The Daily Presshttp://www.smdailypress.com/node/6563/atom/feed2012-07-12T23:27:08-04:00Senior softball stars fall to Corry 7-2 in first game of Section 1 Tournament http://www.smdailypress.com/content/senior-softball-stars-fall-corry-7-2-first-game-section-1-tournament2012-07-12T23:27:08-04:002012-07-12T23:27:08-04:00editor

The St. Marys Little League Softball Senior League all-star team came up short 7-2 in the first game of the Section 1 Tournament against Corry on Thursday evening at Benzinger Park in St. Marys.
The game was an offensive struggle early on as the first run in the game was only scored in the fifth inning, though both squads did leave runners on base early in the game.

The St. Marys Little League Softball Senior League all-star team came up short 7-2 in the first game of the Section 1 Tournament against Corry on Thursday evening at Benzinger Park in St. Marys.
The game was an offensive struggle early on as the first run in the game was only scored in the fifth inning, though both squads did leave runners on base early in the game.
Kelsey Fritz started on the mound for St. Marys, working the first four innings and giving up one hit while striking out four. Shondra Ginther took over for the final two innings, giving up one hit, walking two, and striking out two.
Shannon Baker worked the first four innings for Corry, giving up three hits while striking out six. Shaylynn Lawrence took over for the final three innings, giving up three hits while striking out four.
Jackie Lenze and Tiffany Wickett each had a pair of singles for St. Marys, and Shondra Ginther and Taylor Bellina each singled.
Shaylynn Lawrence and Shannon Baker each singled for Corry.
Corry won the coin toss and chose to be the home team on the scoreboard, giving St. Marys the opportunity to bat first. With one out, Shondra Ginther singled and advanced to second on a single by Jackie Lenze. A sacrifice bunt by Taylor Bellina advanced Ginther and Lenze to third and second, respectively, but St. Marys was unable to drive in a run as Kelsey Fritz flied out to the second baseman. Corry also left a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Shaylynn Lawrence singled. Sydney Linkerhof struck out for what should have been the third out, but the catcher dropped the ball and Linkerhof was able to make it on base, sending Lawrence to second on the play. Both advanced another base on a passed ball, but Johanna Nordland struck out, ending the inning and keeping the game scoreless.
Both teams left one runner stranded in the second inning. With two outs in the top of the inning, Tiffany Wickett singled but never made it past first as Megan Henderson struck out. After one out in the bottom of the inning, Shannon Baker reached base on an error but also never advanced as a strikeout and flyout ended the inning.
St. Marys' batters went down in order in the top of the third, while Corry left a runner on third.
St. Marys' batters again went 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth, and Corry had another batter reach base on a dropped third strike in the bottom of the inning, though they were unable to score any runs.
After another three-up, three-down top of the fifth, Corry took advantage of a St. Marys pitching change to jump out to a five-run lead. With one out, Ginther gave up the first walk of the game as she gave Emily Zaczkiewicz a free pass to first. Zaczkiewicz stole second and scored as Abby Sallot reached base on an error. With Lawrence up to bat, Sallot advanced to second on a passed ball and then later scored on another passed ball. Lawrence ended up walking and advanced to second as Linkerhof reached base on an error. A fielder's choice by Nordland saw Linkerhof out at second, but left Corry with runners on the corners. With Megan Prody up to bat, Lawrence scored on a passed ball. Prody reached base on an error that sent Nordland to third. With Baker up to bat, Prody stole second. Baker singled, scoring Nordland. Prody also tried to come in for the score but was caught in a rundown between third and home. She was able to score on an overthrow to the third baseman, giving Corry a 5-0 advantage. Baker advanced to second during the rundown, but that was as far as she got as Shawn Fuller struck out to end the inning.
St. Marys scored their first run in the top of the sixth. With two outs Lenze singled and advanced to third on an error. A single by Bellina scored Lenze, but Bellina was stranded at first as Fritz flied out. Corry scored their final two runs in the bottom of the inning. After one out, Zaczkiewicz reached base on an error and made it to second on a passed ball. A fielder's choice by Sallot sent Zackiewicz to third and she scored on a fielder's choice as Lawrence grounded out to the shortstop. Linkerhof reached base on an error, scoring Sallot and making Corry's lead 7-1.
St. Marys added one more run in the top of the seventh, but that is as close as they came to cutting into Corry's lead. With one out, Becki Avery reached base on an error and advanced to second on a single by Wickett. A fielder's choice by Henderson saw Avery out at third. Wickett ended up scoring on an error, making the score 7-2 in favor of Corry. Henderson was left at third as Cassie Daniels struck out to end the game and give Corry the victory.
St. Marys will travel to Corry tonight for the second game of the best-of-three tournament. If St. Marys wins game two, the teams will then face off in game three to decide the Section 1 champion.